The Bentway and Exhibition Place are proud to co-present Resurfacing, a new public artwork by Jessica Thalmann, opening September 12, 2024.
Seventy years after the Gardiner Expressway was first built, the City of Toronto has embarked on a once-in-a-generation effort to refurbish the highway and ensure it remains in good working order from end-to-end. With major repair work currently taking place between Dufferin St and Strachan Ave, Torontonianshave a front row seat to the Expressway’s ongoing evolution.
Directly adjacent to this repair work, local artist Jessica Thalmann collages archival images and present-day photography to reflect on the history of this vital structure that has kept our city moving for 70 years, and the vast future possibilities for increased connectivity and shared public space along its length.
Co-commissioned by The Bentway and Exhibition Place, Thalmann’s new artwork resurfaces the unexpected beauty and memory held by the concrete and rebar, reminding us that the Gardiner, like our city, can be both maintained and re-imagined.
Open now until November 1, 2024, Resurfacing is located on Manitoba Drive just east of the Exhibition Place GO station, next to the Gardiner Expressway.
“We are excited to team up with The Bentway on another impactful community art presentation that highlights the work of a talented local, Toronto-based artist, Jessica Thalmann,” said Don Boyle, CEO at Exhibition Place. “This project, our third collaborative installation with The Bentway, marks another step toward our goal of year-round site activation. We invite our community to come together and experience this piece at Exhibition Place.”
Resurfacing layers, tears, weaves, and folds striking images of the Gardiner’s many transformations – including the construction happening now – as a way of exploring the highway (and adjacent spaces like The Bentway and Exhibition Place) over time.
This installation is the third in a series of collaborative presentations by Exhibition Place and The Bentway demonstrating the power of public art and the vast future possibilities for The Gardiner, including increased connectivity and shared public space along its length. Read more about The Bentway’s evolving vision for under-Gardiner spaces here.
